Chinese researchers develop naked-eye 3D tablet

>> China condemns suicide attack on Russian bus

China on Tuesday condemned a suicide bomb attack on bus in Russia which killed at least seven people, and reiterated its firm stance against terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China resolutely opposes all terrorism and strongly condemns all terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, according to the ministry’s website.

When meeting with visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday of October 22 in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang conveyed China’s condolences to the victims and strongly condemned the terrorist, according to Hua.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, she added.

At least seven people died and dozens of others were injured on Monday when a female suicide attacker blew herself up on a bus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd.

>> Indian PM arrives in China for visit

By Wang Huihui

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night of October 22 for a three-day official visit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with the Indian prime minister, and Premier Li Keqiang will hold talks with him during his visit. Top legislator Zhang Dejiang will also meet with Singh.

Singh will deliver a speech at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

This is another important high-level visit between China and India after Li’s visit to India in May, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last week.

It is the first time since 1954 that the Chinese Premier and Indian Prime Minister visit each other in the same year, which is of great importance to deepening the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Hua said.

>> China, India to boost cooperation: FM spokeswoman

By Bai Jie

China and India will sign an array of documents during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s upcoming visit to China to boost bilateral ties, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22.

This is the first time that the two heads of government have completed exchange of visits within one year since 1954, Hua said at a daily press briefing.

China attaches great importance to Singh’s visit, she said.

China hopes to have in-depth exchange of views, expand substantial cooperation and enhance communication and coordination on international and regional issues through the visit so as to ensure the long-term, healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, said the spokeswoman.

According to Hua, the two nations will sign an array of documents on cooperation in various sectors during Singh’s stay here, but she declined to provide further details.

Both nations have had friendly consultations on safeguarding border stability and reached importance consensus, Hua said, adding that both sides agree to make joint efforts before the final resolution to the border issue.

Singh is due to arrive in Beijing Tuesday night for a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

Prior to his departure to China, Singh said on Tuesday in a written interview with Chinese media that he hopes to utilize his visit to China to know the new Chinese leadership better and to work with them to consolidate the all round progress in bilateral relations and put them on a firm trajectory of sustained growth.

>> Spokeswoman: Japan’s move to expand military capacity “concerning”

By Liu Dongkai

China on Tuesday of October 22 said Japan’s move to use the so-called “external threat” as an excuse to expand its military capacity raises concern and alertness.H Japan has deliberately played up the so-called “external threat” and artificially incurred tension and confrontation so as to take advantage of this excuse to continuously expand and upgrade its military capacity, said Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

“Its true intentions cannot help but raise concern and alertness of the international community,” she said at a regular press briefing, when responding to a question about Japan’s alleged plan to take down foreign drones entering its airspace.

Kyodo news agency quoted “a source close to the government” as saying Japan plans to shoot down foreign drones that intrude into Japanese airspace if warnings to leave are ignored.

The report says Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued his approval on October 11 when Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera briefed him on the plan.

Japanese media reported in September about a so-called Chinese drone approaching the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

“The Diaoyu Islands are an inherent part of Chinese territories,” Hua said at the press briefing.

“The Chinese side has the resolution and capacity to safeguard national territories and sovereignty and will resolutely react to aggravated provocative actions from the outside,” she said.

Hua said due to historical reasons, Japan’s policy moves in the areas of military and security have always drawn high attention from its Asian neighbors and the rest of the international community.

>> Chinese, Japanese communities pledge to improve ties

By Cui Wenyi

Communities from China and Japan have pledged to make joint efforts to improve bilateral ties.

The pledge came from a seminar held here on Tuesday of October 22, which commemorated the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the People’s Republic of China and Japan, as well as the 50th anniversary of China-Japan Friendship Association.

Tang Jiaxuan, head of the China-Japan Friendship Association, said the treaty confirms the principles in the Joint Statement Between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Japan in the form of law, identifies the general direction of a longstanding China-Japan friendship, and further consolidates the political foundation for the long-term development of China-Japan relationship.

Noting that China and Japan are close neighbours, Tang said friendly communities of the two countries play an indispensable role in the development of bilateral relations.

Tang said the two sides should work on the basis of the four political documents between China and Japan and in the spirit of “taking history as a mirror and facing towards the future” to properly handle the issues in bilateral relations and push bilateral ties back to the track of normal growth.

Koichi Kato, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association also attended the seminar.

>> China, Angola strengthen military ties

By Wang Huihui

Senior Chinese and Angolan military officials agreed in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22 to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.

The armed forces of China and Angola have maintained long-term friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation, said Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan when meeting with visiting Chief of General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) Geraldo Sachipengo Nunda.

China cherishes the traditional friendship with Angola and is willing to work with the country to push forward the cooperation between the two countries and military cooperation, said Chang, also a State Councilor.

Nunda said his country attaches great importance to developing military ties with China and is willing to strengthen the military exchanges.

>> Chinese official meets defense minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina

By Liu Dongkai

China is ready to raise the level of military cooperation with Bosnia-Herzegovina, a senior Chinese official said in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22.

Xu said China and Bosnia-Herzegovina have seen a smooth growth of relations between the militaries of the two countries. He said the Chinese military is ready to work with the military of Bosnia-Herzegovina to continuously tap into the potential of exchanges, lift the level of cooperation and develop a vigorous military relationship that is in conformity with the friendship between the two countries.

Osmic said Bosnia-Herzegovina highly appreciates the contribution that China made to maintaining world peace and the achievements that it has made in social and economic development. He expressed the hope that the militaries of the two countries would further enhance contact between their personnel and strengthen cooperation in peace-keeping and other areas.

>> China, Macedonia to strengthen crime-fighting cooperation

By Tan Jingjing

Chinese State Councilor Guo Shengkun met with Macedonian Minister of Internal Affairs Gordana Jankulovska in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22, vowing to boost bilateral cooperation in combating organized crime.

Guo, also Minister of Public Security, expressed his hope that the two countries would step up substantial cooperation in such areas as fighting drug crime, terrorism and illegal immigration to jointly safeguard national security and social stability, and offer a sound environment for bilateral cooperation in various fields.

>> Senior Chinese legislator meets Lithuanian guests

By Cui Wenyi

Senior Chinese legislator Yan Junqi met members of the Lithuania-China Parliamentary Friendship Group, led by Algirdas Sysas, vice-chairman of Lithuania’s Parliament here on Tuesday of October 22.

Yan is vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature.

The parliamentary group is paying a goodwill visit to China from Oct. 20 at the invitation of the NPC’s China-Lithuania Friendship Group.

>> Increasing presence of jurors in Chinese courts

By Fu Shuangqi and Cui Qingxin

Jurors took part in 71.7 percent of first trials of court cases in China in the first seven months of the year, according to Zhou Qiang, China’s chief justice, in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22.

The ratio last year was 62.9 percent, a notable increase from 19.7 percent in 2006, said Zhou, when delivering a report on the country’s juror system at the ongoing bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.

In Chinese courts, a juror exercises the same power as a judge but not the chief judge of a trial. They form at least one third of a collegial panel.

Currently, the country has about 87,000 jurors, 55 percent more than that of 2006, Zhou said, adding that the number is equal to half of judges in local courts.

Since 2005, jurors have heard 6.28 million trials, among which 1.76 million were criminal cases, according to Zhou’s report.

As most jurors are experienced citizens and distinguished members of communities, they are very helpful in mediating between parties and settling disputes, Zhou said.

Jurors also contributed their expertise in cases like intellectual property rights and those involving the underage, he said.

More courts are inviting jurors to hear controversial cases to increase transparency and credibility, Zhou said.

“Jurors have played an important role in improving justice and credibility of the judicial system,” he said.

>> CNOOC gains bid for oil field in Brazil

By Zhu Shaobin, Zhu Zhu and An Bei

CNOOC Limited, China’s largest offshore oil and gas producer, announced on Tuesday of October 22 it has jointly won a 35-year production sharing contract to develop a pre-salt oil discovery in Brazil’s Libra oil field.

The company gained the bid as part of a consortium comprising Petrobras, Shell, Total SA and CNPC, according to a statement on its website.

The company holds a 10 percent stake in the winning consortium, with the operator Petrobras having a 40-percent stake, followed by Shell and Total with 20 percent each, and CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) with 10 percent, the statement said.

The Libra field is located in the Santos Basin, about 170 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The oil field has recoverable resources of between 8 to 12 billion barrels of oil and total gross peak oil production could reach 1.4 million barrels per day, the statement said.

>> China’s senior officials face rare criticism by peers

By Wang Di and Hua Chunyu

Senior officials at the regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have all gone through a rare “criticism and self-criticism” among peers since early September, Xinhua learned from authorities on Tuesday of October 22.

As part of the national “mass line” education campaign, members of the party leadership in all the 31 provinces and autonomous governments and the quasi-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have examined their own shortcomings and as well as that of their colleagues at what is known as “Democratic meetings.”

The one-year educational campaign was launched in June to boost ties between CPC officials, members and the public, while cleaning up undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.

During the meetings, party officials examined their own conduct, laid out major problems, analyzed the causes and set down plans for rectification.

The most mentioned problems include obsession with meetings and documents, excessive pursuit of development speed, lack of resolve to reform, alienation from the people and extravagance with public funds.

The Party’s regional leaderships are taking measures to solve the problems exposed during the campaign.

>> China to open 11th National Women’s Congress

By Wang Di, Li Fei and Hua Chunyu

The 11th National Women’s Congress will open on Oct. 28 in Beijing, the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) said on Tuesday of October 22.

The congress will deliberate and approve a work report by the 10th Executive Council of the ACWF, amend the federation’s constitution and elect its new executive council members, according to a statement by the ACWF.

The ACWF said the congress will also summarize progress made by Chinese women in boosting social and economic development over the past five years and draw a blueprint for the development of Chinese women in the next five years.

A total of 1,510 formal delegates and 156 specially invited delegates will attend the congress. The number represents an increase of 230 people more than the number of delegates at the last congress held in 2008.

The proportion of delegates from the front line of production and work has increased 13.2 percent compared with that of the last congress. The number of delegates with master or doctorate degrees has gone up by 12.2 percent.

Among the 1,510 delegates, 52 from Hong Kong and 22 from Macao have been invited as special delegates to the congress. Each of China’s 55 ethnic minorities has at least one delegate to the congress.

>> Political advisory body holds seminar on economy

By Zuo Yuanfeng

The 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Tuesday of October 22 held a consultation symposium to pool wisdom from its members on economic development.

Dealing with the current macro-economy situation, the biweekly consultation symposium of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over by chairman Yu Zhengsheng, targeted topics such as steady growth, economic reform and maintaining the sound momentum of economic development.

According to Yu, the consultation symposium, held Tuesday for the first time, will be a regular event of the CPPCC to invite members from various fields and backgrounds — mainly those from non-Communist parties or with no political party affiliation — to discuss and propose ideas.

During the event, attendees expressed viewpoints on consolidating the foundation status of agriculture, industrialization and urbanization, accelerating industrial re-adjustment and economic reform.

>> More public infrastructure projects to “Go West”

By Fu Shuangqi and Yu Xiaojie

A State Council report on Tuesday of October 22 said that more government investment will go to large infrastructure projects in west China.

The central government will help western provinces expand railway networks, build arterial highways, upgrade state and provincial highways as well as build new reservoirs, said the report by the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner.

“We will try to solve the problems of road and water supplies that people in the west complain most about,” said Xu Shaoshi, head of the commission.

The density of highway and railway networks in the western region is about half the national level. Despite fast economic growth in recent years, the west still lags behind especially in infrastructure and environmental protection.

A number of cities have transport difficulties. It takes about nine hours by train to cover 400-km between Chifeng in Inner Mongolia and Beijing while the high-speed train takes only half an hour from Beijing to Tianjin, about 140 km away.

Investment in transport infrastructure will help forge an international corridor between China, Southeast Asia and Central Asian countries, Xu said. Investment will continue in oil pipelines linking China with its western neighbors.

In 2001, China began the western development program, known as the “Go West” strategy, and it covers 12 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, including Chongqing, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang. In 13 years, central government has sent about 8.5 trillion yuan (1.4 trillion U.S. dollars) from the central treasury to the western region. About 40 percent of central investment has gone to the west and funded 187 major infrastructure projects, including the landmark Qinghai-Tibet railway.

The region enjoys preferential policies in tax, land use and human resources. Companies relocating there enjoy flexibility and corporation tax of 15 percent instead of the usual 25 percent.

The region’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 1.58 trillion yuan in 1999 to 11.39 trillion yuan in 2012, and contributed 19.8 percent of China’s total GDP in 2012, up from 17.9 percent in 1999.

Major economic indices of western provinces have been higher than eastern provinces and the national average since 2007. The annual income of urban residents increased from 5,302 yuan in 1999 to 20,600 yuan in 2012 while rural incomes were up from 1,634 yuan to 6,027 yuan.

>> China stresses auditors’ role in guarding fiscal stability

By Xiong Zhengyan

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday of October 22 auditors can play an important role in safeguarding fiscal stability and combating corruption.

Auditors must properly supervise the financial department, find potential risks and ensure the sustainability of fiscal fund, Li said at the 21st Congress of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions(INCOSAI), which opened in Beijing Tuesday.

In his keynote speech, Li urged auditors to mercilessly expose corruption and protect public funds.

The Chinese Premier also called for international cooperation between auditors in perfecting the global financial regulation rules and safeguarding the stability of world economy.

To the nearly 700 delegates from some 160 countries, Li said the world economy was picking up slowly but deep-rooted defects remain, leaving many uncertain and instable factors.

Li briefed them on China’s economy, saying the government had taken measures to advance reforms and restructure the economy to allow the market playing a bigger role in generating growth.

“We are capable of reaching the major targets of economic and social development this year and accomplishing fiscal stability and sustainability,” he said.

With Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO) of China to serve as head of INTOSAI, Li said the Chinese government will, as always, support the work of the INTOSAI.

>> 3 officials jailed for bugging Party chief

By Cao Kai, Tan Jian and Ming Xing

Three public officials were each sentenced to 20 months in jail for illegally wiretapping a county Communist Party chief of central China’s Hunan Province, according to a local court ruling on Tuesday of October 22.

Li Yi, an official with the supervision office of the Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Yang Fan, a Mayang court officer and Liu Yang, a police officer, were guilty of illegal wiretapping and secretly filming a county Party chief, according to the ruling of the district people’s court of Hecheng, Huaihua City, which administers Mayang County.

They were guilty of placing hidden cameras in the office of Hu Jiawu, secretary of the CPC Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee, spying on Hu and storing video footage on a removable disk between March 13 and Oct. 2 in 2012. They used the footage to try and blackmail Hu for promotion, according to the ruling.

They installed spy gadgets on a water dispenser, according to earlier media reports.

Hu reported the matter to the police, who arrested the three suspects.

The three defendants said they would appeal to the Huaihua Intermediate People’s Court.

>> China’s house prices continue to rise

By Huang Xin, Yue Ruifang and Mou Xu

Prices of both new and existing homes continued to rise in most Chinese cities in September, according to official data released on Tuesday of October 22.

Of a statistical pool of 70 major Chinese cities, 65 saw a month-on-month rise in the cost of new homes, down from 66 in August, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

According to the bureau, 63 cities reported month-on-month price gains for existing and second-hand homes in September, compared to 58 in August.

On a year-on-year basis, the cost of new homes rose in 69 cities last month, the same as the August figure, while 68 cities reported higher year-on-year prices for existing homes last month, also unchanged since August.

Growth rates in first-tier cities were significantly higher compared to second- and third-tier cities. New home prices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen rose by an average 1.4 percent month on month while those in 35 third-tier cities rose by 0.6 percent on average, according to the data.

Liu Jianwei, a senior statistician with the NBS, attributed the higher growth rates in first-tier cities to a lower comparison base in the same period of last year.

Prices in 70 major and medium-sized cities dropped from a year earlier in September, according to the bureau’s data.

The data cover the nation’s large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, provincial capitals, and other cities.

“The market is polarized, with excessive resources concentrated in first- and second-tier cities, and it’s time to let the market play a better role to balance it,” said Zhang Dawei, director of Centaline Property’s research center.

Zhang added that the market is looking to policy changes that will be introduced in the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee to be held in November.

Runaway prices led the government to issue guidelines in March to tighten control of the real estate sector, including higher transaction taxes, restrictions on purchases of multiple homes and higher down payments.

But the guidelines failed to arrest the surge.

The government is likely to expand its property tax trials amid recent hikes in home prices in many cities, according to experts.

Government documents on reform have repeatedly touched upon the subject, further evidence that this approach is locked in, said Jia Kang, head of the fiscal science research institute under the Ministry of Finance.

>> China urban land prices up for six straight quarters

By Zhang Zhongkai and Liu Jie

China’s urban land prices have increased for six consecutive quarters, according to a survey by China’s land price monitor on Tuesday of October 22.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, land prices in major Chinese cities under the monitor system rose 1.85 percent between June-September, up 0.23 percentage points, according to the latest survey released by China Land Surveying and Planning Institute.

The average price stood at 3,286 yuan (535.22 U.S. dollars) per square meter.

Prices of land for commercial use increased 2.60 percent to 6,201 yuan per square meter, and those for residential purposes jumped 2.32 percent to 4,910 yuan per square meter.

A total of 101 cities saw land prices rise in the third quarter, with 44 cities recording an increase of more than five percent, the survey showed.

Land prices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and 10 other cities rose by more than 10 percent, while prices in east China’s Wenzhou fell.

The survey attributed the price increases to soaring market demands.

Meanwhile, with the accelerating process of China’s urbanization, land prices are expected to continue rising mildly in the future, according to the survey.

>> Increasing numbers of magistrates in China’s courts

By Fu Shuangqi and Cui Qingxin

Magistrates took part in 71.7 percent of first trials in China in the first seven months of the year, according to Zhou Qiang, China’s chief justice, in Beijing on Tuesday of October 22.

The ratio last year was 62.9 percent, a notable increase from 19.7 percent in 2006, said Zhou, delivering a report on the magisterial system at the ongoing bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.

In Chinese courts, a magistrate exercises the same power as a judge but not the chief trial judge. They form at least one third of a collegial panel.

Magistrates are ordinary citizens, aged over 23, and perform the duty part-time.

China has about 87,000 magistrates, 55 percent more than in 2006, Zhou said, adding that the number is equal to half the number of judges in local courts. Since 2005, magistrates have heard 6.28 million cases, among which 1.76 million were criminal.

Most magistrates are experienced citizens and distinguished members of their communities. They are very helpful in mediation and settling disputes, Zhou said. Magistrates also contribute their expertise in cases like intellectual property rights and those involving minors. Courts are inviting magistrates to hear controversial cases to increase transparency and credibility.

Magistrates were included in several high-profile trials this year, such as that of Zhou Xijun, sentenced to death in May for strangling an infant he found in the back seat of an SUV that he had stolen in Changchun, capital of northeast China’s Jilin Province.

Despite an increase in the number of magistrates, there are far from enough of them. As the law requires them to have at least a degree from a community college; many rural residents and blue-collar workers do not meet the requirement. Courts have difficulty recruiting in rural areas and are unable to utilize as many social backgrounds as they would like. Many local courts do not have enough money to support magistrates’ work. Although magistrates are not paid a salary, they usually receive subsidies to cover transportation and loss of income, Zhou said.

The Supreme Court plans to increase the pool to 200,000 in next two or three years and raise the number of magistrates from the grass-roots to a minimum of two thirds of the total, Zhou said. “We are considering lowering the academic requirements so that more common citizens can join the magisterial’ ranks”.

The Supreme Court is amending a judicial explanation of the magistrate system and will start a pilot program of reform at city and lower level courts in ten provinces and municipalities.

>> China’s farm produce prices rise slightly

By Rong Jiaojiao and Liu Yangyang

The prices of farm produce in 36 major Chinese cities rose slightly in the week ending October 20 compared with the week earlier, a Ministry of Commerce statement said.

The average wholesale prices of 18 kinds of vegetables rose 1.8 percent from a week earlier with the prices of ginger, tomatoes and beans increasing 7.6 percent, 6.4 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.

The average wholesale prices of aquatic products, however, dropped 0.1 percent and the prices of eggs shrank 0.5 percent from the previous week.

The cost of mutton went up 0.1 percent, beef prices maintained the same, and pork prices dropped 0.4 percent compared with last week.

The rise in the cost of vegetables was because of the temperature drop in certain areas, resulting in reduced supply which pushed prices up.

Food accounts for about one third of China’s consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation.

The CPI rose 3.1 percent year on year in September, up from 2.6 percent in August.

>> China to better finance science and technology

By Ren Ke

China will improve the way it provides financial support to science and technology development, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on Tuesday of October 22.

Lou told the country’s top legislature that despite pouring money into the sector, reforms are needed. Basic research relies heavily on financial support from central government rather than local governments or enterprises, and the proportion of research and development expenditure that goes on basic research is too low.

Science and technology funding lacks coordination and relations between the government and the market have not been clearly defined. Lou told the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress that the government needs an innovation system with enterprises as major players, and to promote other forms of financial support, such as angel investors and government procurement of services.

Science and technology evaluation and management should be improved, and, in the meantime, monitoring and supervision should be stepped up.

Fiscal expenditure came under fire in recent days when Wan Gang, Minister of Science and Technology, criticized bad practices earlier this month.

According to the Chinese Association of Science and Technology, only 40 percent of the research funds are spent on their supposed uses. The bigger parts are wasted on irrelevant matters.

Expenditure in the sector increased from 168.9 billion yuan in 2006 to 560 billion yuan in 2012, average annual growth of almost 25 percent.

In group deliberations of the report Tuesday afternoon, legislators addressed the issue. Chen Changzhi, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the evaluation system could not focus on the quantity of theses published or awards — Chinese scientists have numerous theses published in reputable academic journals, but innovation is still lacking.

Besides the report from Lou Jiwei, legislators also heard from Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, about implementation of the western development program, the “Go West” strategy; from Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People’s Court, on China’s magisterial system; and from Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, on fighting embezzlement and bribery.

>> China’s spending in R&D 1.98 pct of GDP

By Ren Ke

Research and development (R&D) spending in China reached one trillion yuan (164.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012, about 1.98 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), Minister of Finance Lou Jiwei said on Tuesday of October 22.

R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP is viewed as an important indicator to evaluate a country’s investment in innovation. R&D spending as a percentage of GDP in China was 1.54 percent in 2008.

The growth rate of fiscal expenditure in R&D surpassed the growth rate of fiscal revenue, Lou said when delivering a report to the ongoing bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.

Fiscal expenditure in science and technology development increased to 560 billion yuan in 2012 from 168.9 billion yuan in 2006, an average annual growth rate of 22.73 percent, Lou told senior legislators.

Total expenditure in science and technology in the last seven years has reached 2.42 trillion yuan, accounting for 4.37 percent of the country’s fiscal expenditure.

Lou said the increase in spending has helped developments in science and technology, and improved the country’s innovation capabilities.

According to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum, China’s innovation capabilities ranking rose to 26th in 2012 from 48th in 2006.

Improved capabilities have played an important role in developing advanced and strategically important sectors, and in the meantime, science and technology have helped provide better services for people, Lou added.

>> China to spend 1 bln USD on water conservation

By Liu Xinyong, Hou Xuejing and Han Jie

China’s Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday of October 22 that it has allocated 6.33 billion yuan (1.03 billion U.S. dollars) for irrigation and water conservation projects.

The fund will be used for the improving projects in major grain-growing regions, central and western regions, old revolutionary bases, ethnic minority areas, border areas and poverty-stricken areas, the ministry said.

Around 80 percent of the money will be for new irrigation and water conservation projects, while the remainder will go on maintenance.

The fund comes from revenues from land sales around the country.

>> Beijing adopts emergency response for air pollution

By Guo Jingyu and Shi Shouhe

The Beijing municipal government officially adopted an emergency program on Tuesday of October 22 to respond to the capital city’s heavy air pollution.

According to the Beijing Municipal Heavy Air Pollution Emergency Response Program, drivers in the city will only be allowed to use their cars every other day when a red alert, the highest warning level, is issued for air pollution.

Cars with odd- and even-numbered license plates will be allowed on roads on alternating days according to the program, which was adopted by the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of municipal government cars will be banned from streets on an odd-even alternating basis.

Fang Li, deputy chief of the city’s environmental protection bureau, said the bureau would try its best to issue warnings 24 hours before heavy air pollution days.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, an air quality index (AQI) of over 300 is defined as “serious pollution” and an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered “heavy pollution.”

Vehicles have been considered a major contributor to Beijing’s heavy smog in recent years.

A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimated that vehicle exhaust fumes contribute 22.2 percent of PM 2.5 particles in the city, exceeding the figure for industrial emissions. PM 2.5 are airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can pose health risks.

Total profits from the past nine months have amounted to 95.58 percent of the company’s annual profit target of 10.8 billion yuan, according to information on its website.

Once a state-owned debt clearer, China Huarong became a joint stock company with diverse financial businesses in October 2012. The market-oriented transformation has seen net assets in its parent company grow by 9.445 billion yuan, up 32.01 percent by the end of September.

Huarong is expected to issue financial bonds worth 12 billion yuan in early November and is now in the process of introducing strategic investors. It is also considering setting up a branch in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, the website said.

Huarong is one of China’s four state-owned asset management companies set up in 1999 to tackle bad loans, the other three being Cinda, Great Wall and Orient.

>> Imported iron ore stockpiles rise

By Rong Jiaojiao and Liu Kaixiong

Stockpiles of iron ore at 25 major ports in China increased last week, suggesting sluggish trade, according to a Tuesday report by Xinhua News Agency.

Inventories of imported iron ore stood at 75.30 million tonnes at the end of the Oct. 15 to 21 period, up 459,000 million tonnes, or 0.61 percent, from the previous week, according to the report.

The price index for iron ore imports with a 62-percent purity grade rose two points to 135. The index for iron ore imports with 58-percent purity increased one point to reach 123.

The report said iron ore trading volume was sluggish because most steelmakers were not active in buying ore and were maintaining a wait-and-see attitude.

It is expected that steel prices will remain weak and the iron ore market is likely to remain slack this week, according to the report.

>> China allocates funds for boosting imports

By Hou Xuejing, Han Jie and Cheng Jing

China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Tuesday of October 22 it has earmarked 2.8 billion yuan (456 million U.S. dollars) for interest discounts to importers of certain products to encourage trade.

The funds was up 12 percent from a year earlier, according to the MOF website.

The support should boost imports of high-tech equipment, significant raw materials, and key components and parts to optimize trade structure, the statement said.

Since the policy came into place in 2008, a total of 12.3 billion yuan has been spent on interest discounts on imports of specified products worth 137.07 billion U.S. dollars, the ministry added.

Earlier data showed China posted a trade surplus of 169.4 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months, up 14.4 percent year on year.

>> Chinese micro-credit companies issue 161.2 bln yuan in loans

By Wang Peiwei, Wang Yu and Cheng Jing

New yuan-denominated loans issued by China’s micro-credit companies amounted to 161.2 billion yuan (26.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters, data from the central bank showed on Tuesday of October 22.

By the end of September, the number of micro-credit companies in China had risen to 7,398, with total outstanding loans at 753.5 billion yuan, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement on its website.

In recent years, micro-lending companies have become an important channel for medium- and small-sized firms as well as individual businesses to access funds.

The central bank report showed east China’s Jiangsu Province had 555 small-credit companies by September, the most of any provincial-level region, followed by northeast China’s Liaoning Province and north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

>> China Telecom launches cloud computing center in Guizhou

By Cao Kai and Huang Yong

China Telecom, a leading Chinese telecom operator, broke ground for a cloud computing center in southwest China’s Guizhou Province on Monday of October 21.

The China Telecom Cloud Computing Guizhou Information Park covers an area of 500 mu (33.3 hectares) in the Gui’an New Area near the provincial capital of Guiyang.

The project, with an investment of 7 billion yuan (1.14 billion U.S. dollars), is expected to be operational by the end of 2014, providing high-speed storage and computing services for government departments, enterprises, financial institutions and Internet companies.

The first phase of the park, with an investment of 4 billion yuan, covers an area of 200 mu and comprises eight data centers, one power center and two support centers. It is expected to accommodate one million servers.

So far, clients have agreed to place more than 120,000 servers in the park.

“Guizhou, with its high altitude and abundant energy sources, is an ideal place to build the cloud computing center,” said Wang Xiaochu, chairman of China Telecom, at the construction inauguration ceremony.

Cloud computing generally refers to services, including software and storage, accessed by users through the Internet, rather than on local machines or servers.

Also on Monday, Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics contractor, started building a 260-hectare industrial park to the south of the China Telecom cloud computing park.

>> Chinese, foreign police shut down child porn websites

By Liu Lu

Four transnational child porn websites have been shut down and more than 250 suspects arrested in a joint operation undertaken by Chinese and foreign police, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The move was initiated by Chinese and the U.S. police and involved police from 15 other countries as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Since the operation began in April, more than 180 suspects have been seized for maintaining child porn websites on the Chinese mainland, 60 in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The U.S. police has shut down websites involved and arrested two suspects.

Suspects overseas are under investigation in accordance with local laws and regulations.

According to the ministry, in September last year, “Zhengjiutianshi” or “to rescue angels,” one of the child porn websites, was spotted by the U.S. police and reported to the Chinese police.

Videos, pictures and texts in the website amounted to four TB, which normally takes 48.5 days to download.

The ministry said that the crackdown on the chain of child porn sites has been a successful operation thanks to the international cooperation of police forces.

The ministry will continue to strengthen cooperation with foreign countries to vigorously fight transnational illegality, including online pornography, swindling and computer hacking.

Chinese police has established cooperation with their counterparts in 83 countries and regions and set up 65 hotlines with the police organs in 44 countries, the ministry said.

Chinese police liaison officers have also been sent to embassies and consulates in 23 countries, including the U.S., the United Kingdom and Russia, to beef up cooperation.

>>Chinese researchers develop naked-eye 3D tablet

By Lü Qiuping and Pan Xu

Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have developed a naked-eye 3D tablet computer, which should be in the shops by the end of this year.

Naked-eye 3D technology has put 3D lens onto the screen, allowing viewers to watch 3D images without glasses, Fang Yong, deputy director of the spectrum modulation technology center at the SJTU Wuxi Research Institute, said on Tuesday of October 22. Users will not suffer from eye strain or dizziness.

According to Fang, the research team has filed a patent and the televisions and computers with the technology are on the way.

The tablets are expected to be available this year at a price of 2,000 yuan (328 U.S. dollars) to 3,000 yuan, the television will be put to the market in two years, he said.

>> Chinese county abandons forced tobacco, liquor sales

By Lü Qiuping and Liang Jianqiang

A county in central China’s Hubei Province announced on Tuesday of October 22 that it would annul an official directive which forced townships to sell designated quotas of tobacco and liquor.

The announcement released by Gong’an County Government came after media reports on Tuesday triggered public anger online.

Whistleblowers said township officials and village heads were tasked to sell local cigarettes and liquors, and those who failed to meet the sales target would have their salaries deducted and even their posts removed.

According to the official document released by the tobacco market management leadership team of the Gong’an County, township governments were required to sell a total number of 25,100 boxes of cigarettes in 2013. The document also specified exact quota of each township government.

Similar documents had been enforced for three consecutive years, putting heavy pressure on local officials.

>> Chinese shares down on profit-taking

By Xu Feng and Liu Jie

Chinese shares dipped after a two-day winning streak on Tuesday of October 22 as investors moved to lock in profits.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.83 percent, or 18.59 points, to finish at 2,210.65, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.37 percent, or 119.88 points, to finish at 8,619.64.

Combined turnover on the two bourses increased to 296.03 billion yuan (48.22 billion U.S. dollars) from 264.63 billion yuan the previous trading day.

The media and entertainment sector led the losses, with its sub-index down 7.02 percent. Industry heavyweights Huayi Brothers Media Corp. and Beijing Enlight Media Co., Ltd. both fell by the daily limit of 10 percent.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, tumbled 3.60 percent on Tuesday to end at 1,350.47, following a 3.78-percent rise on Monday.

>> Ping An Bank net profit growth increases

By Zuo Wei

Mid-sized Chinese bank Ping An Bank Co., Ltd. announced on Tuesday of October 22 that its net profits rose 14.25 percent year on year to 11.7 billion yuan (1.91 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters, a faster pace than the 11.39-percent growth in the first half.

In the third quarter, net profits increased 19.82 percent from a year ago to 4.17 billion yuan, the bank said in a statement filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

In the Jan.-Sept. period, the Shenzhen-based lender reaped a business revenue of 37.35 billion yuan, up 26.46 percent from the same period last year.

Total assets hit 1.86 trillion yuan at the end of September, up 15.5 percent from the beginning of the year, according to the statement.

Total deposit rose 22.65 percent from the beginning of the year, which the bank said was in a leading position in the industry and laid a solid foundation for its overall business development.

The bank’s non-performing loan (NPL) ratio stood at 0.96 percent by the end of September, down 0.01 percentage points from the level by the end of June but 0.01 percentage points higher than the beginning of the year.

Ping An Bank said its NPL ratio in east China rose mildly because some medium- and small-sized private companies in the Yangtze River Delta area have had difficulty paying their debts, but asset quality in other regions remained steady.

>> Hospitals strengthen security to prevent violence

By Li Huizi

Hospitals in China will step up security after seven people died of attacks in hospitals last year, according to a document issued on Tuesday of October 22.

Measures will prevent and reduce attacks in hospitals and “protect legal interests of both doctors and patients,” said the document, jointly issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Public Security.

“Prevention and emergency response should be improved to ensure timely handling of malicious incidents,” it said, adding that security personnel should always be on duty.

Patients should be advised to uphold their rights and interests “in a rational manner” and medical staff should be informed of security issues.

Hospital inspections should improve, and security equipment be installed if necessary to prevent knives and other dangerous items being taken into hospitals. Video surveillance and electronic inspection should be improved.

Last year, 11 violent attacks on medical staff occurred in hospitals in eight provinces and municipalities including Beijing, killing seven people and injuring 28, including doctors, patients and a security guard.

Last month, police in central China’s Hunan Province arrested a man suspected of injuring three nurses with a knife in the latest hospital attack, following a dispute over cosmetic surgery.

>> Beijing adopts emergency response for air pollution

By Shi Shouhe, Guo Yujing, Yang Yichen and Ni Yuanjin

The Beijing municipal government officially put into effect an emergency program on Tuesday of October 22 to deal with air pollution.

According to the Beijing Municipal Heavy Air Pollution Emergency Response Program, drivers will only be allowed to use their cars every other day when a red air pollution alert is issued. Cars with odd and even license plates will be allowed on alternating days and 30 percent of municipal cars will be banned from streets on an odd/even basis.

The emergency response will remind citizens to protect themselves from health hazards and take strict emission reduction measures.

During a red alert, kindergartens, primary and high schools will be suspended, and some industrial plants shut down.

Fang Li, deputy chief of the city’s environmental protection bureau, said the bureau would try its best to issue warnings 24 hours before heavy days.

An air quality index (AQI) of over 300 is defined as “serious pollution” and an AQI between 201 and 300 is considered “heavy pollution.”

Vehicles are considered a major contributor to Beijing’s heavy smog. A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimated that vehicle exhaust fumes contribute 22.2 percent of PM 2.5 particles — particles under 2.5 microns in diameter — in the city, exceeding the figure for industrial emissions.

It is estimated that the public transport system will have 2 million more passengers on an emergency day, Fang Ping, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, told a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

This requires additional buses, trains and trams. Public transport will be extended by 30 minutes to cope with the pressure, said Fang Ping.

>> Neolithic cave dwelling found in NW China

By Zhang Liang and Qiang Lijing

A large-scale neolithic site, including a rare cave dwelling, has been unearthed in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, sources with the regional institute of archaeology said on Tuesday of October 22.

Archaeologists have been working on the site, which is located in Shatang Township, Longde County, since July 10, said Fan Jun, head of the archaeological team.

Up till now, over 400 square meters of the site, including seven ancient house remains, six half crypts and a cave dwelling have been excavated, Fan said, adding that the excavation is expected to be complete by the end of October.

“The cave dwelling is an important finding from the site as it is rare to see such an intact and well-preserved building site dating back to the neolithic times between 4,300 and 5,300 years ago,” Fan said.

The finding is helpful for research on the production forms of ancient humans and their way of life, he said.

Along with the ancient building sites, pottery, stone tools and bone tools have also been unearthed. Judging from these ancient utensils, archaeologists believed the neolithic site could be traced back to about 4,500 years ago.

>> Cold front to hit N China, haze to continue in NE

By Yu Wenjing and Wang Yaguang

Temperatures in most northern Chinese provinces will plunge over the next three days as a cold front approaches, while fog and haze will linger in the northeast, the national observatory said on Tuesday of October 22.

The cold front will sweep across Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north and northeast China, and areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, dragging temperatures down by up to 10 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

NMC said central and eastern regions in Inner Mongolia will also experience strong winds as well as snow and blizzards.

It also forecast that fog will blanket parts of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan and Sichuan provinces, as well as Inner Mongolia on Tuesday. Some areas in central and western parts of northeast China will see haze with visibility of less than 200 meters.

>> Heavy fog lingers in NE China

Expressways, schools and an airport remained closed on Tuesday of October 22 in northeast China’s Harbin City due to lingering heavy smog.

Kindergartens, primary and junior middle schools were ordered to suspend classes for a second day on Tuesday in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang Province. The Harbin Taiping International Airport has been shut down since Monday.

Meteorological authorities in Harbin issued a red alert for the fog at 5 a.m. Tuesday. Visibility in some areas of downtown was less than 20 meters.

All expressways in Heilongjiang remained closed on Tuesday.

The severe smog continued to shroud other major cities such as Changchun, capital of Jilin Province and Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province on Tuesday. Meteorological authorities in the two provinces also issued a red alert for the thick fog.

Traffic control has been implemented since Monday evening for the section of the Beijing-Harbin expressway that passes through Jilin Province.

The heavy fog began to hit the vast northeastern region on Sunday.

Medical experts warn that 3 to 5 days after the smog will be a peak in people suffering from respiratory symptoms.

“The impact of air pollution on people will be gradual. There won’t be a sudden outbreak of symptoms, but normally three to five days after the smoggy weather occurs, there is a peak in the number of people seeing doctors,” said Deng Ying, a doctor at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection released air quality data of 74 cities in September and the three-month period from July to September.

The ministry listed the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the third quarter of the year: Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Handan, Hengshui, Baoding, and Langfang in north China’s Hebei Province; Jinan in east China’s Shandong Province; the municipality of Tianjin; and Zhengzhou in central China’s Henan Province.

>> 5 dead in SW China road accident

By Sun Xiaozheng and Yan Qilei

Five people were killed and another person was severely injured in a road accident in southwest China’s Zhengan County, Guizhou Province on Monday, local authorities said on Tuesday of October 22.

The accident happened at around 9:25 p.m. on the 207 provincial road in the county, when two motorcycles and a truck collided.

Four people died at the scene. One person, who was severely injured, died in hospital. Another severely injured person is still in hospital.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

>> Woman kills sons after domestic dispute in China

By Li Laifang and Chen Wenguang

A woman killed her three sons after injuring her husband with a knife during a domestic dispute early on Tuesday of October 22 in central China’s Hunan Province, the local government said.

The wife, surnamed Lei, in Jiahe County, argued with her 35-year-old husband, also surnamed Lei, and then slashed him with a knife. The husband was injured in the head and went to a local hospital by himself.

Police arrived at the scene after receiving a report at 0:18 a.m.. They broke into the house as the door was locked, to find the three sons aged nine, two and one, lying dead in the living room and a bedroom.

The left wrist of the woman was bleeding as she was trying to commit suicide. Police sent her to hospital for treatment.